Banana Bread

October 1, 2016

Banana bread is great for afternoon tea, when you are feeling peckish and need something to keep you going without falling into the chocolate bar trap. There’s lots of reasons to love this version: buttermilk makes it moist; walnuts, bran and chia seeds give you the fibre you need so you won’t be hungry again in an hour; and with only half a cup of sugar, there’s really nothing to feel guilty about.

I’m no stranger to using bananas as a core ingredient in cakes: banana cake, and even better, banana and chocolate cake , are firm favourites that are made again and again and again. Whilst they do a really good job of satisfying any sugar craving, they also make you feel just a little bit indulgent. Questions start to play on your mind: do I really need this? Yes! I scream back, but deep down I know that ‘no’ is a more appropriate response.

With this in mind, the October challenge was born. One month of only eating food that is beneficial to your wellbeing. No refined sugar, no refined flour, and no….whatever else the ‘heart smart’ book tells me isn’t good for me. Flicking through the ‘healthy cholesterol’ book wasn’t very scary. Our diet is basically on target. The hard thing will be avoiding chocolate, and not whipping up a dessert just because.